Elizabeth Hamilton – 2023 Trustee Awards

‘Elizabeth has demonstrated her passion and commitment to protecting the countryside in her circa 20 years’ volunteering for CPRE – for both National and CPRE Hertfordshire.

‘Elizabeth has become very influential as an Interested Party and de facto Expert Witness on biodiversity issues at planning appeal Inquiries. She has devoted significant amounts of time and participated in three such Inquiries so far in 2023. This new area of activity for her, and for CPRE Hertfordshire, results from the recent growing number of developers appealing local planning authorities’ refusals of permission for inappropriate development in the Green Belt, or the Chilterns AONB.

‘Elizabeth’s professional background as an ecologist and her detailed research and presentation of biodiversity issues at Inquiry increased her credibility. Planning Inspectors have given her the time and the platform to challenge evidence. This encourages developers to take more seriously the biodiversity net gain requirements! The concept of habitat units is being utilised as an unacceptable proxy for wildlife species. Elizabeth seizes each opportunity for halting and reversing the UK’s chronic decline of species, and she sees that every proposed development site matters in this effort. She has been recognised previously for other contributions, but we would like to recognise her this year for the outstanding impact she is having through her participation in planning appeal Inquiries.’

Click here for further background and a download-able example of Elizabeth’s work.